A coalition of faith and non-faith groups are staging a demonstration outside the oil and gas giant’s Fawley Refinery in Hampshire, on the day of the company’s AGM in Houston.

Demonstrators handed leaflets to staff as they entered and this afternoon plan to gather outside Salisbury Cathedral to hand a letter to the Bishop of Salisbury, the Lead Bishop for Environmental Affairs, requesting that the CoE divests from ExxonMobil.

They hope this will happen regardless of the outcome of ExxonMobil shareholders’ planned vote on climate resolution.

Ruth Jarman, a member of the CoE, said: “When the Church should be showing moral leadership to protect the millions of lives devastated every year by climate change, they’re being taken for a ride by the very company causing the problem.

“By continuing to hope that ExxonMobil is going to change its stripes, the CoE is buying cover for one of the most notorious companies blocking action on climate change, including funding climate denying politicians and fake science.”

ELN has contacted ExxonMobil for a statement but it declined to comment.